Inkjet technology is widely used for precisely and rapidly dispensing small quantities of fluid. Inkjet printheads eject drops of fluid, such as, for example, ink, from a nozzle by creating a short pulse of increased pressure within a firing chamber. During printing, this ejection operation can repeat thousands of time per second. One way to create pressure in the firing chamber is by heating the fluid in the firing chamber. A thermal inkjet (TIJ) device may include a heating element, such as, for example, a firing resistor, in the firing chamber. To eject a drop of the fluid, an electrical current may be passed through the heating element, and as the heating element generates heat, a portion of the fluid within the firing chamber may be vaporized. The vapor may rapidly expand, forcing a drop of fluid out of the firing chamber and through the nozzle. The electrical current across the heating element may then be turned off, allowing the heating element to cool. As the vapor bubble rapidly collapses, more fluid my be drawn into the firing chamber.
all in which various embodiments may be implemented.
Examples are shown in the drawings and described in detail below. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, and various features and views of the drawings may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic for clarity and/or conciseness. The same part numbers may designate the same or similar parts throughout the drawings.